Vishnu Sahasranama 315 - 326

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

315. Krodhakṛtkartā क्रोधकृत्कर्ता

Krodha means anger; kṛt means author (authoring) and karta means the doer. This nāma can be explained in two ways. He causes anger in the minds of evil doers and He ultimately destroys them. He causes anger in those who are true spiritual seekers against worldly afflictions. Spiritual advancement can be achieved only if one is able to transcend all types of worldly afflictions. Worldly afflictions corrupt the mind thereby making it impossible to attain liberation.

316. Viśvabāhuḥ विश्वबाहुः

He has hands everywhere. This nāma reaffirms the omnipresent nature of the Brahman. Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (III.3) explains this. “विश्वतश्चक्षुरुत विश्वतोमुखो विश्वतोबाहुरुत विश्वतस्पात् viśvataścakṣuruta viśvatomukho viśvatobāhuruta viśvataspāt”, which means all eyes are His, all faces are His, all hands are His and all feet are His.

Kṛṣṇa also confirms this in Bhagavad Gītā (XIII.13), “It (the Brahman) has hands and feet on sides, eyes, head and mouth in all directions and ears all around, as It stands pervading all in the universe.” Scriptures repeatedly reaffirm the omnipresence of the Brahman. Realising the omnipresent nature of the Brahman is prelude to realizing the Self.

317. Mahīdharaḥ महीधरः

Repetitive nāma 369.

Mahī means the Supreme and also the earth. Dhara means supporting and this nāma says that He is the supporter of the universe.

Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā (XV.13), “I support all beings with My vital power.” The Divine Power pervades the universe in the form of various energies. For example, the gravitational force between two planets is the Divine energy. If this energy is depleted even by a fraction, it will cause coalition of the planets and ultimate annihilation.

318. Acyutaḥ अच्युतः

Repetitive nāma 100.

This nāma can be interpreted as a + cyuta. Cyuta means moved or shaken, which can be explained as modifications. Brahman is beyond modifications, though He is the cause for all modifications in the universe.

319. Prathitaḥ प्रथितः

Prathita means spread, once again a reaffirmation of His omnipresence.

320. Prāṇaḥ प्राणः

Repetitive nāma-s - 66 and 407.

Prāṇa is the life sustaining force and is different from breath. Different types of prāṇa-s are available, like prāṇa of sun, prāṇa of trees, prāṇa of air, etc. Prāṇa is the life sustaining force. This nāma reaffirms the saying of nāma 317.

321. Prāṇadaḥ प्राणदः

Repetitive nāma-s 66, 408, 956.

Brahman is the cause of prāṇa. Without prāṇa life cannot be sustained. This nāma also endorses His omnipresence. By remaining subtle, He pervades the universe.

322. Vāsavānujaḥ वासवानुजः

Vāsavānuja is the younger brother of Indra. In some dictionaries the name is mentioned as Vāsavāvaraja. In His Dwarf incarnation, Viṣṇu was born as younger brother to Indra for sage Kāśyapa and his wife Aditi.

323. Apāṁnidhiḥ अपांनिधिः

Apāṃnidhi means ocean. This nāma is used to mean His compassion. His compassion for the beings is limitless. This nāma can also said to mean His vastness. He is bigger than the biggest, says Kaṭha Upaniṣad.

324. Adhiṣṭhānam अधिष्ठानम्

Adhiṣṭhāna means resting upon. The whole universe rests on Him. Without foundation, a building cannot exist and similarly without Him, the universe cannot exist. Supporting act of the Brahman is described in various nāma-s of this Sahasranāma. Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā (IX.4), “matsthani sarvabhūtāni” which means all beings rest on Me.

325. Apramattaḥ अप्रमत्तः

He is always vigilant and careful. He, as the Lord of the universe has given responsibilities to different gods and goddesses. For example, Varuna presides over water; Agni presides over fire, etc. Though He has given responsibilities to different gods and goddesses, He does not rest. He ensures that all the beings are served properly and supervises personally.

Typically speaking, administration of the Brahman is in no way different from the governance that we see today. Brahman is the head of a government and ministers are other gods and goddesses. The constitution is the Law of Lord, also known as the Law of Karma.

326. Pratiṣṭhitaḥ प्रतिष्ठितः

Pratiṣṭhita means rooting or rested. Chāndogya Upaniṣad (VII.24.1) says that Brahman rests on His own power. Brahman does not need anyone else, whereas, all others need Brahman to exist. This nāma conveys the Supremacy of the Brahman.